Putin using critical gas pipeline as ‘weapon’ – صحيفة الصوت

Reports indicate the flow of gas will be reduced from this afternoon (AEST), with serious implications for an anxious European Union.

Russia’s state-owned gas company Gazprom said it will cut supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to Germany in half, to just 20 per cent of its capacity.

If this eventuates, the West will find itself in unchartered territory when it comes to whether Europe will have enough gas to get through the winter.

This has sent prices through the roof and hit energy-intensive industries hard.

Companies warn that they often can’t switch overnight to other energy sources.

“All this is done by Russia deliberately to make it as difficult as possible for Europeans to prepare for winter,” Zelenskyy said.

“This is an overt gas war that Russia is waging against a united Europe.”

The Biden administration has been working furiously behind the scenes to keep European allies united against Russia, US officials say.

“This was our biggest fear,” said the US official.

The impact on Europe could boomerang back onto the US, spiking natural gas and electricity prices, the official said.

It will also be a major test of European resilience and unity against Russia, as the Kremlin shows no signs of retreating from Ukraine.

The US and Brussels have been pleading with EU members to save gas and store it for winter.

Energy ministers today agreed in principle to cut gas use by 15 per cent from August to March.

Although the EU has agreed to embargo oil and coal from Russia starting later this year, the bloc has refrained from sanctioning Russian natural gas because Germany, Italy and some other member states rely heavily on imported gas.